Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the United States

Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the United States Jerry Kaufman and Martin Bailkey © 2000 Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Working Paper The findings and conclusions of this paper are not subject to detailed review and do not necessarily reflect the official views and policies of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy. After printing your initial complimentary copy, please do not reproduce this paper in any form without the permission of the authors. Contact the authors directly with all questions or requests for permission. Lincoln Institute Product Code: WP00JK1 Abstract Most people think of farming as an activity occurring almost exclusively on rural land. This report, however, takes a look at cities in the United States—especially those affected more substantially by economic changes and population losses over the past several decades—as a new and unconventional locus for for-market farming ventures. The setting for food growing in these cities is the abundant vacant land left in the wake of people and economic activities moving from central cities to the suburbs. The report investigates the nature and characteristics of for-market city farming, obstacles to such activities, and ways of overcoming these obstacles. It also offers proponents of urban agriculture suggestions to advance the cause of city farming in environments where many are either uninformed of the multiple benefits of entrepreneurial urban agriculture, disinterested, or skeptical about its durability and longer lasting significance. Certain important groups— local, state and federal governments, local foundations, and community development corporations—who could lessen obstacles to entrepreneurial urban agriculture, if they so choose, are also targets for suggestions on ways they could be more proactive in support of city farming. More than 120 people served as informants for this study. Some 70 entrepreneurial urban agriculture projects in United States cities were found. The initiators of these projects are a very diverse group—community garden organizations, community development corporations, neighborhood organizations, inner-city high schools, social service organizations, church-affiliated groups, youth service agencies, farmers with a special interest in in-city food production, university extension services, animal husbandry organizations, homeless agencies, public housing tenants, and private sector businesses. Just as the sponsors of for-market urban agriculture ventures varied, there were differences among the projects across several important dimensions, such as the form of urban agriculture practiced, sources of funding, resource capacities of the responsible organizations, staffing arrangements, scale of operations, types of production techniques used, market outlets, and locations. Detailed case studies of Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia probed the institutional climate for urban agriculture and investigated fifteen for-market urban agriculture projects in these cities. The study found both supporters and skeptics of entrepreneurial urban agriculture. Obstacles to such activities were generated from the interviews conducted. These are discussed under four broad categories—site-related, government-related, procedure- related and perception-related. Among the more prominent obstacles mentioned were site contamination, site vandalism, government and non-profit community development group skepticism, inadequate financing, and staffing problems. Ways of overcoming these obstacles are discussed, premised on the possibility that governments at all levels, local and national philanthropic foundations, and community development corporations can offer stronger support for entrepreneurial urban agriculture. Actions that specific groups could initiate to be more proactive towards the nascent movement of for-market urban agriculture are presented. About the Authors Jerry Kaufman is a professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania planning program, he has been an active planner for nearly five decades—as a planning practitioner until the early seventies, and since then as a planning educator and researcher. He has taught courses and published articles on topics including the ethics of planning, strategic planning, alternative dispute resolution applications to planning, central city planning issues, and community food system planning. Since 1996, he has been director of the Madison Food System Project at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He recently co-authored two journal articles with Kami Pothukuchi, Wayne State University, on food system planning issues. This study on for-market city farming bridges his interest in community food systems and older American cities. Contact Information: Professor Department of Urban and Regional Planning University of Wisconsin-Madison 925 Bascom Mall Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608 262-3769 Fax: 608 262-9307 Email: [email protected] Martin Bailkey is a senior lecturer in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is also a dissertator in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, conducting research on how community organizations gain access to vacant land in United States cities. He is presently serving as co-chair of the Community Food Security Coalition on urban agriculture, and has spoken on urban agriculture at several national conferences. Contact Information: Senior Lecturer Department of Landscape Architecture University of Wisconsin-Madison 1450 Linden Drive Madison, WI 53706 Phone: 608 263-7699/263-7940 Email: [email protected] Contents Section 1: Introduction 1 Section 2: The Study Framework 3 Section 3: The Research Approach 9 Section 4: An Overview of Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture Projects 10 Section 5: The Case Studies 23 Section 6: Obstacles to Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture 54 Section 7: Overcoming Obstacles to Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture 66 Section 8: Conclusions 83 Endnotes 86 Bibliography 91 Appendix A: Current or Planned Inner-city Entrepreneurial Urban 96 Agriculture Projects in the United States and Canada Appendix B: Photographs of Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture 106 Appendix C: Project Informants 116 Farming Inside Cities: Entrepreneurial Urban Agriculture in the United States Section 1: Introduction This study is informed by both vision and reality. Beginning with the perplexing dilemma of what to do about the increasing amount of abandoned land in lower-income sections of many cities in the United States, the vision projects a scene where many of these vacant lots are transformed into working farms—where inner-city residents grow food in the soil, in raised planting beds or in greenhouses, then market their produce at farmer’s markets, to local restaurants, or to city and suburban residents eager for fresh, locally-grown food. Two proponents of city farming sketch a parallel vision with more distinct and vivid images: Shade trees will be partially replaced by an urban orchardry of fruits and nuts. Sunlit walls will become architectural backdrops for espaliered fruits and vine crops. Shrubs, which purify air by removing auto exhaust, lead and zinc will be planted in raised beds between the streets and sidewalks. Community gardens and gardening will increase as participation grows. Agricultural bioshelters will fill vacant lots and ring parks. Floating bioshelters will line harbors and produce their fish, vegetables, flowers and herbs for sale. Old warehouses and unused factories will be converted into ecologically inspired agricultural enterprises. Fish, poultry, mushrooms, greens, vegetables, and flowers will be grown in linked and integrated cycles. Rooftops will utilize bioshelter concepts for market gardens all year. (Todd and Tukel 1999) Do such visions convey a plausible future, or are they merely fanciful dreams? Will some American cities add significant levels of food production to their repertoire of functions? Will city farming be recognized as a legitimate enterprise as the early years of the 21st century unfold? Advocates of urban agriculture envision multiple benefits to cities, including: • reducing the abundant supply of vacant, unproductive urban land under management by local governments; • improving the public image of troubled neighborhoods; • increasing the amount of neighborhood green space; • supplying low-income residents with healthier and more nutritious food; • developing more pride and self-sufficiency among inner-city residents who grow food for themselves and others; 1 • revitalizing the poorest neighborhoods by creating food-based employment (particularly for young people), thus bringing more income to residents; • providing new, non-traditional program activities for community-based non- profit organizations; • converting the food waste of supermarkets into compost and fertilizer used in food production; • reducing food transportation through the greater availability of local produce; and • supporting local and regional food systems in general. Skeptics contend that such scenarios are highly unlikely. They identify the following as impediments to turning such visions into reality: • inner-city vacant land is too contaminated by past uses to grow food safely, with the cost of cleaning up the land often being prohibitive; • few funding sources exist for urban agriculture projects initiated by resource- strapped non-profit

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